As districts around the state grapple with insufficient education funding, the Ketchikan School District is now considering reorganizing its three elementary schools into specific grade levels for next year.
The three schools are spread out geographically, with one on the north side of the island (Point Higgins Elementary), one on the south side (Fawn Mountain Elementary), and one in between, near downtown (Houghtaling Elementary). Under a plan presented to the School Board budget committee Dec. 4, Point Higgins and Fawn Mountain would become Kindergarten through third grade and all fourth through sixth graders would go to Houghtaling. There would be a dividing line at Whitecliff Avenue, and any Kindergarten through third graders who live north of that would go to Point Higgins, and vice versa for Fawn Mountain.
In his presentation to the committee, Superintendent Michael Robbins said the move would even class sizes and help cover a $1.5 million budget deficit by cutting staff.
“We can’t maintain the status quo with stagnant funding from the state, and decisions need to be made as soon as possible regarding our budget for next year,” Robbins said. “Simply because, this affects people’s lives.”
Alaska schools haven’t seen a substantial increase to the state funding formula since 2017. Robbins explained that the flat funding has lagged well behind inflation, as costs like health insurance have skyrocketed in recent years. But the district’s other problem is that its enrollment is steadily shrinking, meaning they receive less and less of that per-student state money.
Several parents spoke at the meeting, including Darby Mainardi, a former teacher and mother of four who lives near Point Higgins Elementary. She shared her frustration with the proposal as she held a young baby, saying she was worried about the time her children would have to spend on the bus.
“Honestly, if you send my children to — I have a fourth grader next year and a sixth grader — to Houghtaling, I will consider homeschooling my children,” Mainardi said. “I have that ability. I’m a stay-at-home mom for a year or two. I have the education. It might be what’s best for my child. Is it what’s best for the district, if a lot of Point Higgins parents decide to do that?”
Another cost savings plan presented, which would keep the grade levels as is, would involve eliminating library, music and P.E. teachers at the elementary schools.
The budget plans will be presented to the full school board at their meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
